Dreaming a Little Dream
by Natalianova
Summary: In dreams all sorts of things can happen. The clock  turns back for Orihara Izaya and he returns to Raijin times to solve the mystery of sudden disappearances. High School AU
1. Chapter 1: Back to School

****It's an experiment since I wanted to write something that would be slightly different from my other stories. It's not exactly an AU but it's not that close to canon either. I'm not quite sure how this will turn out since I personally prefer shorter stories. It's probably because I get tired and discouraged easily while writing longer ones. But I hope you'll enjoy it.****

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: Who would need disclaimers when there is PIPA, SOPA and ACTA? I'll end up in prison anyway.**

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><p>Izaya woke up in the morning only to discover that he hadn't been sleeping in his apartment in Shinjuku. The room seemed familiar to him though. After he got up and took a look around, he came to a conclusion that he was currently residing in his old room in Ikebukuro. He had not idea how he had ended in his parents' house. After he checked the calendar, everything became clear.<p>

- It's February 13th, 1994*, so I'm back to high school times. I must be still dreaming. Although I've used to have even more strange dreams already.

Izaya heard hammering at his door. He always locked them because his sisters often tried to do some things to him when he was sleeping. Fortunately, he was a light sleeper, so they never succeeded but he didn't want to risk waking up with his face covered in marker drawings.

"What do you want, Mairu, Kururi?"

"You promised that you'll escort us to the school everyday, Iza-nee! And yesterday and the day before you didn't! I'm going to call mommy and daddy and tell them about it!"

"Rage (They'll be angry with you)…"

Izaya sighed. His sisters have always been intolerable. Even in his dreams.

"If you want me to escort you to the school, then you'll have to wait. If that's too much for you, then you're free to go by yourselves."

"Hmph. Fine but hurry up. We don't want to be late."

Even though Izaya couldn't see Mairu's face, he was more than certain that she was pouting. He sighed and opened the wardrobe to take out his school uniform. To his surprise he found a black, sailor outfit which was obviously meant for a girl. He decided that his sisters would pay for that prank.

When Izaya moved to the bathroom his reflection in the mirror gave him a shock. He had a shoulder length hair. He also noticed that his facial features changed slightly. Now they were more feminine. With an awful suspicion he unbuttoned his pyjamas only to discover that he had a pair of (rather small) breasts.

- So that girl's uniform wasn't a prank. My, what a strange dream I'm having.

After the initial shock passed, Izaya shrugged and even smiled. It wasn't a big deal for her. She quickly took a shower and changed. Mairu and Kururi were already waiting for her at the front door.

"What took you so long, Iza-nee? Did you massage your breasts hoping that they'll get any bigger?"

"Futile (It's hopeless)…"

Izaya noticed that instead of twin, little sisters, she had now twin, little brothers. Not that it made them any more tolerable.

"Trust me, Mairu. If you were a girl, you'd have as small breasts as me."

Mairu stuck his tongue out at Izaya.

"But I'm not!"

Izaya sighed again this day and ran ahead. Her brothers were barely able to follow her since their legs were much shorter.

"Wait for us, Iza-nee!"

"Didn't you say that you don't want to be late? You'd better hurry up."

Izaya didn't pay much attention to her brothers' complaints. She couldn't wait to get rid of them. Eventually the three Orihara siblings reached the front gate of Raijin Elementary School.

"You two better behave yourselves at school."

"Don't worry, Iza-nee! No matter what we'll do, we'll never be as naughty as you!"

"Bye (Goodbye, sister)…"

Izaya watched her little brothers until they disappeared from view. She heaved a sigh of relief. Those two were a constant annoyance to her. And because their parents worked mostly abroad, she had to take care of her younger siblings too often to her liking.

**Some time later, Raijin High School, Ikebukuro**

"Hello there, Izaya. What have you been scheming recently?"

Shinra smiled to his friend. He was wearing a girl's uniform, so apparently his gender also changed. Izaya wondered whether Celty became male. It would be quite fitting, since she was much manlier than Shinra. Izaya also thought that it was slightly unfair that her friend's breasts were bigger than hers. Nevertheless, she returned Shinra's smile, even though it wasn't too honest.

"That's so rude, Shinra. Of course I haven't been scheming anything."

"Really? You want me to believe that those unlucky fellows, who wanted to have a fight with Shizuo, weren't tricked by you?"

Izaya didn't manage to answer that question because she was forced to dodge a shoe box that was thrown at her.

"IZAYAAAAAAA!"

Izaya noticed with some disappointment that Shizuo remained male.

"I thought that Shizu-chan doesn't hit girls?"

"You're the only exception!"

Running from Shizuo when at school was an usual routine for Izaya. This time, however, she didn't manage to get far away. She forgot that she was several inches shorter now. Since Shizuo's legs were much longer than Izaya's, he eventually cornered her in the gym. She pulled out her switchblade and slashed her opponent's chest. Shizuo ignored the tear in his uniform. He grabbed Izaya's hand and pinned her to the wall.

"Did you send those guys after me?"

"It's not my fault that so many people wants to beat you up."

"This time I'm going to kill you."

Izaya could tell that Shizuo was being serious. His murderous aura was almost tangible. She was getting desperate.

- If I want to survive through this, I need to distract him somehow.

It was an impulse. Izaya closed her eyes and kissed Shizuo. Just as she suspected, it made him absolutely dumbfounded. His grip on her hand loosened, so she broke herself free easily. The school bell rang. Izaya gave Shizuo a refreshing smile.

"It looks like the lessons are starting. Bye, bye, Shizu-chan!"

And she was gone. Shizuo remained in the gym for several seconds. Then he used his right hand to wipe his mouth.

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><p>*<em>I'm following the novels' timeline.<em>


	2. Chapter 2: The Missing

**The next chapter will be published in February. If you are clever, then you'll probably guess the exact date easily.**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: If I was Narita-sensei, I wouldn't write such bad stories.**

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><p>"Hey, Shinra…May I ask you something?"<p>

Shizuo didn't really know what to think about Izaya's unusual behavior, so he decided to ask for Shinra's opinion on that matter. During PE boys and girls were usually separated. But since Shinra wasn't participating in those lessons (she claimed it was because of her poor health), she was currently sitting on the bench near the playground and observing the boys, hoping to witness one of Shizuo's outbursts of anger.

"Surely."

"Do you think that Izaya might, um, have a crush on me?"

"It's hard to say with the likes of her. But it's possible."

"Really?"

Seeing veins appearing on Shizuo's temples and hearing him grinding his teeth, Shinra understood that she made a mistake.

"I'm not too sure about it! Please, calm down, Shizuo!"

Shizuo was so disturbed (and thus enraged) by the possibility of Izaya being in love with him, that he completely ignored Shinra and shouted:

"I WOULDN'T LIKE THAT FLEA, EVEN IF SHE WAS THE LAST GIRL ON EARTH!"

He shouted so loud that their classmates turned their heads to look at him. It enraged him even more.

"What are you staring at?"

Most of the boys were reasonable enough to look away. But some of them were still gaping. Shizuo grabbed the bench and proceed to kick their asses. Shinra managed to hid in a safe place and observed the whole scene with delight.

Izaya took the seat in the last row, next to the window (so that she could both observe her classmates and look outside) and prepared herself for a boring lesson. Saotome-sensei, their English teacher, was rather incompetent, to put it mildly. Her pronunciation was so bad that Izaya doubted that any native English speaker would be able to understand her. Not to mention that she was prone to making mistakes and often had to be corrected. But since she didn't demand too much from her students, she was universally liked. Clamour of voices subsided when a tall, lanky woman dressed in a red suit entered the class. She had very pale skin and hair tied in a tight bun.

"Welcome. My name is Alicia Wong and from now on, I'll be your new English teacher."

One of the male students whispered:

"Wow, she's hot!"

Izaya disagreed with him. Not that the new teacher was unattractive (though not necessarily beautiful), but to her she seemed rather cold. Alicia looked around the class and asked in a cool voice:

"Do you have any questions?"

"What happened to Saotome-sensei?"

"She went missing. Didn't you watch news this morning? If I recall correctly, it's the third person from this school that disappeared without trace."

Although Alicia's words were uttered in an indifferent tone, they still agitated the class. Even Izaya was perturbed since she had almost no information on those missing people. She decided to delve into that matter deeper. Meanwhile the male student, who had earlier said that the new teacher was hot, asked another question:

"Are you from China, Sensei?"

"I was born there but I spent majority of my life in Scotland."

Indeed Izaya noticed that she spoke with slight British accent.

"If there aren't any more questions, then let's start the lesson. Take out your pens. We are going to have a little test today."

"A test? But it's our first lesson, Sensei!"

Students tried to protest but Alicia was adamant and calmly distributed the sheets.

"I must check how much you've learned already. Stop complaining and start writing."

To Izaya the test wasn't particularly difficult but troubled expressions on her classmates' faces told her that they didn't share that opinion. After 15 minutes Alicia collected all the sheets. Then she proceeded to the actual lesson. Izaya didn't pay her much attention and looked out of the window. She saw Shizuo kicking asses of his classmates with a bench.

- It looks like Shizu-chan is making a ruckus again. What a beast.

"Orihara Izaya."

"Yes?"

"Stand up when I'm talking to you."

Izaya obeyed. Alicia fixed her cold eyes on her and came closer. Only now Izaya noticed that the new teacher had unusually sharp canines.

"Do you find my lesson uninteresting?"

"No, not at all."

"Really? I could swear that just a second ago you were looking out of the window. If you paid attention to my lesson, then could you please tell me what it was about?"

"You were talking about passive voice, Sensei."

"Very good. If you're so well-informed, then could you please explain to the rest of the class what passive voice is?"

"Well, I could but shouldn't it be Sensei's task?"

Alicia slightly narrowed her eyes.

"Very clever. But I'd like to ask you one more thing. Why aren't you wearing a proper uniform?"

"According to the school rules, students are obliged to wear an uniform. But it isn't specified what kind of uniform it should be."

"I'll check it. And remember that I'm keeping my eye on you, Orihara. You may sit down."

Eventually, the lesson ended. Izaya as well as the rest of the students left the class with a relief. Soon, they started complaining about Alicia.

"That test was unannounced! It's unfair!"

"I hope police will find Saotome-sensei quickly. Wong-sensei is so strict and scary."

Only one male student seemed to be overjoyed about having a new teacher.

"I think she is sexy. I want her to give me some private lessons…"

"You're such a pervert, Kensuke-kun."

As usual Izaya didn't participate in her classmates' talks. She was planning to look for some information, so she headed for the library. There she was greeted by a familiar, male student.

"Yo, Izaya."

"Hello there, Dotachin. How come Shizu-chan didn't kick your ass?"

"I retreated just in time to avoid the beating. Tell me, do you happen to know something about those two missing people?"

"Did you mean those _three_ missing people?"

"Three?"

"My English teacher went missing yesterday. Anyway, I'm still working on this case. I'll let you know when I gather some more information."

"Thanks."

Kadota returned to his reading while Izaya started the library's computer up. She found names of the missing with ease. The first two disappeared on January 31st: a freshman named Takagi Hanako and a sophomore named Nemoto Arashi. Those two didn't seem to be connected in any way. Izaya knew Arashi by sight. He was attending the same class as Shizuo and Shinra. And apparently he was also friends with Kadota, which explained why the latter expressed an interest in the missing people's case.

For the rest of the day Izaya didn't run into Shizuo, which made her very content. She wondered if he was deliberately trying to avoid her.

- If I had known that the brute would react in such a way, I'd have kissed him earlier.


	3. Chapter 3: Saint Valentine's Day

**I wonder how many of you guessed that the next update will be on Saint Valentine's Day?**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: Did you know that disclaimers aren't obligatory?**

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><p><strong>Next day,<strong> **Raijin High School, Ikebukuro**

"What do you think about it, Shizuo?"

Shinra proudly displayed a little, pink gift box while she and Shizuo were in the process of changing their shoes.

"About w_hat_ exactly?"

"About this chocolate. Do you think Celty will like it?"

"How the hell I'm supposed to know? And Celty doesn't have a head, so what's the point of giving him chocolate, if he can't eat it?"

Shizuo's statement was rather reasonable. But not to Shinra who answered in a brisk tone:

"You don't understand a thing, Shizuo. On Valentine's Day girls give chocolates to boys to express their love and affection. It's the act of giving that counts, not the chocolate in itself."

"Maybe."

Shizuo shrugged and stretched out his arm to grab his shoes. Instead he found a little, white valentine box. There was also a letter in a pink envelope. Both of them were decorated with red hearts.

"Huh?"

The box contained a small piece of chocolate. Shinra looked at it curiously.

"Oh my! Did you get a valentine?"

Shizuo scratched his head in confusion and read the letter.

"_Hello._

_Forgive me for not giving this to you in person, but I was too shy. I've liked you for a long time. If you accept both my chocolate and my confession, then meet me tomorrow at 7 am in the school basement._

_Love,_

_Y._"

"What the fuck is that?"

"It's probably a prank."

Both Shizuo and Shinra turned away instantly when they heard all-too-familiar, bright voice. Izaya smiled hollowly to both of them. Shizuo frowned and pointed to the letter.

"Is this also your doing, Izaya-kun? Do you think I'm stupid enough to fall for the same trick twice?*"

"It's not my handwriting. And don't flatter yourself too much. I don't like you enough to give you chocolate."

Shizuo looked as if he could pounce on Izaya at any moment. Shinra decided to cut in before her friends started another fight.

"It wouldn't be all that surprising, especially if the chocolate was previously poisoned. By the way, I can check if it's edible. How about it, Shizuo?"

"It's pointless. I seriously doubt that there exists a girl crazy enough to give Shizu-chan a real valentine."

Shizuo couldn't suppress his anger any longer. Izaya's mere presence was enough to make him mad. Not to mention that he had to listen to her irritating voice for so long. He grabbed a chair and threw it at her. The girl dodged it and pulled out her switchblade while grinning all the time. Shizuo picked up another chair but Izaya managed to stab him, (but only as far as half a centimetre into) before he was able use it.

"That is enough."

An authoritative voice could be heard and cold hands grabbed both Shizuo's and Izaya's wrists.

"Wong-sensei?"

Alicia calmly stood between the two enemies. Shizuo was so shocked that he let go of the chair. Shinra and the rest of the students watched the scene with amazement. It was pretty rare that someone actually tried (and managed) to stop Izaya's and Shizuo's fights.

"You two are coming with me."

Alicia seemed much stronger than her lanky frame would indicate. She didn't let go of Shizuo's and Izaya's wrists as she dragged them to her class. There she eventually released them and took the switchblade away from Izaya. The two troublemakers were ordered to sit at the opposite desks and were given a clean sheet of paper and a pen.

"What is your name?"

Alicia turned to Shizuo who was still frowning and giving Izaya murderous looks.

"Heiwajima Shizuo."

"All right. Then write 100 times: I, Heiwajima Shizuo will not throw chairs at my schoolmates."

"She isn't my mate."

"If you don't like it, then I can call your mother and father and summon them to school. How about it?"

Shizuo ground his teeth but he took the pen. He didn't want to cause his parents any more trouble. Besides, there were always things other than chairs that he could throw at Izaya.

"Fine, I'll write it."

Then Alicia turned to Izaya who was smiling innocently.

"When are you going to return my switchblade, Sensei?"

"School rules forbid students to carry any kind of weapons, so I'm confiscating it. As a punishment you'll write 100 times: I, Orihara Izaya will not stab my schoolmates with a switchblade."

"I don't feel like it. And before you try to summon my parents, you should be informed that they are currently abroad and won't be returning any time soon."

"In that case, I'll make you kneel on peas for an hour."

"According to school rules, corporal punishment is forbidden. Besides, it's terribly old-fashioned, Sensei."

Alicia narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Believe me, those forms of punishment worked just fine in the 19th century. And they will work just as fine in modern times, especially when disobedient students such as you are concerned."

"Serves you right."

Shizuo muttered these words while still focusing on his writing. Izaya ignored him and calmly continued her discussion with Alicia.

"You can't force me to do that. You'll be expelled."

"The school already lost one English teacher. The headmistress can't afford to dismiss me. At worst I'll receive a reprimand."

Izaya could tell that the teacher was being deadly serious. She sighed and decided to give up this time. Revenge could always be extracted later. She started writing. Alicia nodded approvingly.

"Wise decision."

The teacher calmly placed herself between the two teenagers and began reading a volume of poetry. Judging from the front cover, its author was Emily Dickinson.

"I've already finished, Sensei."

Shizuo handed Alicia his sheet. She quickly scanned through it.

"Not exactly. You wrote it only 99 times. But I'll let you off this time. You may go."

Shizuo left the class with relief. For some reason he felt rather uneasy around that strange teacher. Meanwhile Izaya managed to finish her writing and gave her sheet to Alicia who briefly glanced through it.

"You may leave now."

"May I ask you something first?"

"Ask."

"Why do I have the impression that you don't like me too much, Sensei?"

"That impression is correct."

Alicia's absolute honesty surprised Izaya who had thought that the teacher would at least make some excuses before giving a straight answer. The smile disappeared from Izaya's face and she narrowed her red eyes.

"And may I know why?"

"I've been teaching for a long time. I can tell which students are troublemakers at the first glance. But that's only part of the reason I don't like you. I have a strong suspicion that when you grow up, you'll become even bigger troublemaker than that delinquent buddy of yours."

"Shizu-chan isn't my buddy."

"You two seem to agree on that matter. If you don't have any more questions, then could you please leave? My next lesson is starting soon."

"Before I leave, let me tell you one thing, Sensei. Your dislike is reciprocated."

Izaya left the class with a strong resolution to make the hell out of the new teacher's life.

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><p>*S<em>hizuo refers to the events that were described in one of the Durarara DVD gaidens.<em>


	4. Chapter 4: Surprises

**Since there was a longer break between chapters, I decided to update this one earlier.**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I'm too lazy to write one.**

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><p><strong>Next day in<strong> **Raijin High School's Basement**

Shizuo eventually decided to meet with the person that gave him the valentine. He doubted in the authenticity of the confession, but his brother had once told him that he should cherish any received letter. There was also another reason. If it turned out to be a prank, Shizuo was going to beat the crap out of the person that was responsible for it. But to his surprise, there was a beautiful girl waiting for him in the basement. She smiled dazzlingly when she saw him.

"You've came! Does that mean that you accepted my valentine? I'm so happy!"

Shizuo stared at her, absolutely dumbfounded before managing to ask:

"Excuse me, but what was your name again?"

Now it was the girl's turn to be surprised. She answered in somewhat aggrieved tone.

"My name is Yumenosaka Ayame."

"Oh, I remember you now. But wait. Haven't you been dating Shishizaki-sempai?"

"He broke up with me shortly after he graduated. But it doesn't matter cause it's you who I like now!"

The girl was smiling brightly. Shizuo scratched his head. He wasn't too sure what to think about the whole situation.

"Well, um, thank you for that valentine…"

"Not at all!"

"…But I can't say for sure whether I like you or not. I mean, I barely know you."

The smile disappeared from Ayame's face and she scrutinized Shizuo.

"You didn't eat my chocolate, did you?"

"Well, not yet."

The bright smile instantly appeared again on the girl's face.

"It's all right. Just make sure to eat it. See you soon!"

Ayme waved and cheerfully run out of the basement leavening confused Shizuo behind. While walking up the stairs she was passed by Izaya. She gave her a strange stare. In response Izaya smiled her usual smile.

- I didn't suspect that the most popular girl in school would be the one to give Shizu-chan a valentine. Humans never cease to surprise me.

Shizuo was climbing the stairs when he noticed Izaya. His face instantly creased into an angry frown.

"What are you doing here?"

The girl simply shrugged and answered in a carefree tone:

"I was just passing by."

"Like hell."

"Actually, I was going to give you this."

Izaya took out a small, red gift box. It was the second time this day that Shizuo was greatly surprised.

"What the fuck is this?"

"Didn't you say that you want my chocolate?"

"I didn't say anything like that. And I don't want it."

Izaya didn't stop smiling but her eyes narrowed slightly.

"That's so rude, Shizu-chan. You shouldn't refuse when a cute girl gives you chocolate."

"You aren't cute."

"Fine. If you don't want it, then you can give it to Shinra or even throw it away. I don't really care."

Izaya ostentatiously threw the valentine at Shizuo and went away. Apparently, she was pissed off by the blunt refusal of her gift. Shizuo picked up the box and sighed.

- First Ayame and now Izaya. I really don't get those girls.

Later Shizuo met with Shinra in the class. To his annoyance, the bespectacled girl was expressing an overwhelming joy.

"Celty accepted my chocolate! Admittedly, he said that he isn't ready to accept my love yet. But it still made me the happiest girl in the world! I'm sure that one day, my feelings for him will be reciprocated!"

"Could you just shut up already?"

Shinra fell silent. Only then she noticed a little, red thing that Shizuo was holding.

"Did you get another valentine, Shizuo? Since when you became so popular?"

"It's from Izaya. She said that you can have it. But I wouldn't be too surprised, if it was poisoned."

Shinra opened the box and instantly consumed a tiny piece of chocolate. Shizuo observed her munching with anxiety.

"Are you sure that you won't die after eating this?"

"For a poison it tasted quite good. Oh, and by the way, I've already examined the chocolate that you received earlier, Shizuo."

"And?"

"After I halved it, a white worm crawled from the inside. It ran away so fast that I didn't manage to catch it. But I checked the rest and it turned out to be okay."

Shinra handed Shizuo a plastic bag containing two halves of the chocolate.

"I see. Thanks."

"Did you meet with the person that gave you that valentine?"

"It was Yumenosaka Ayame."

"Nice joke, Shizuo. You want me to believe that the most popular girl in Raijin would…"

Shinra didn't finish her sentence because she noticed the death glare that was directed at her. She understood that her friend was speaking seriously. Shizuo frowned angrily and spat:

"I don't know if she's popular or not. I'd say she is kind of strange."

**Some time later**

English became Izaya's least favourite lesson. The presence of the new teacher filled her with distaste. And to her great irritation, she was unable to gather any compromising information regarding Alicia Wong. Since Izaya's information network wasn't that developed yet, she was only able to obtain the most basic data. Unfortunately she didn't find any weak points.

"Good morning, class."

Alicia entered the class with a grim expression on her pale face. Students responded to her greeting without much of enthusiasm:

"Good morning, teacher."

"I have bad news for you. Only three people passed the test. The rest failed miserably."

Alicia distributed the sheets. Izaya examined hers. She got 97%. A girl sitting next to her mumbled:

"78%...My parents are going to kill me…"

"Is there something wrong, Wakamoto? Are you dissatisfied with your test score? Weren't you one of those few that passed?"

Izaya came to a conclusion that Alicia's sense of hearing had to be pretty sharp since she was standing at the other end of the class and the girl's mumbling was rather quiet. Wakamoto instantly stood up when she heard that the teacher uttered her name.

"Yes, Sensei. The test was unannounced, so I couldn't prepare myself to it. It's not that I'm dissatisfied with my score, but my parents want me to get the highest grades."

"Tell your parents that grades do not determine the value of a person. For example, the girl who got the highest score in the class, is far from being decent."

Alicia was looking directly at Izaya who stood up instantly. Usually she would just ignore such an insult but today she was in a bad mood.

"Excuse me, Sensei, but you shouldn't talk about your students in such a way."

Alicia shrugged indifferently.

"I'm only telling the truth. As far as I know, decent girls do not get into fights with delinquents."

Before Izaya could answer, a male student with tousled, brown hair stood up and interrupted.

"That's not true, Sensei! It's not Orihara's fault that Heiwajima picks fights with her!"

Alicia gave that student a cool stare.

"Your determination to defend the girl you like is admirable, Sharaku. But in this class you are supposed to raise your hand, if you want to say something. Besides, judging from what I saw yesterday it was Orihara who provoked Heiwajima. Nonetheless, such matters should be discussed with the school counsellor and definitely not during the English classes. Enough time was wasted already. Everyone please sit down, so that we may proceed to our lesson."

Sharaku was blushing furiously even after he sat down. Izaya smiled reassuringly to him. In the meantime, one of the male students eagerly raised his hand. Alicia looked at him with some mild irritation.

"What do you want, Kensuke?"

"Is it possible to have more lessons with you, Sensei? Cause I've got a feeling that my English needs improving."

"Your score was second best in the class, so I don't think that you need additional lessons. But those who want to improve their language skills, may enrol to English course that I'm going to organise in the nearest future."

The rest of the lesson proceeded uneventfully. After it ended, several students came up to Alicia with the aim of enrolling to her course. Amongst them were Wakamoto and Kensuke. Given that Izaya had a lot of things to do, she left the class as fast as possible.


	5. Chapter 5: The Investigation

**Here's trivia for you. One of the OCs from my other (removed) story recurs in this chapter.**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I'd like to own Durarara but my mother won't let me :(**

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><p>Izaya intended to talk with the missing students' classmates. She started from questioning Kadota about Nemoto Arashi . It turned out that the missing boy was rather an average student. Expect for one thing: Kadota admitted reluctantly that recently Arashi had been stalking Yumenoska Ayame. Izaya made a resolution to talk to her later. During the next break she was going to investigate Takagi Hanako's case. She quickly left the classroom but her further plans were interrupted by a hearty voice behind her back.<p>

"Is this you, Orihara-sempai?"

Izaya turned away just to see a smiling, innocent-looking girl with golden eyes.

"Hello. Do you remember me? A month ago we took part together in the biology contest."

"Ah yes, I remember. You're Akira-chan, right?"

Izaya remembered the girl mostly because of her peculiar eye colour and the fact that she had been always winning first places in various biology contests. Akira smiled cheerfully and grabbed both Izaya's hands.

"Let me congratulate you! You won the first place!"

"Seriously?"

Izaya wasn't that surprised, actually. She had deliberately tampered with the results of the contest by switching Akira's sheets with hers. To her disappointment, she didn't spot any signs of jealousy or resentment on the other girl's face. Apparently Akira's congratulations had been sincere. Unaware of her sempai's previous machinations, the girl continued chattering:

"You must like biology a lot? I heard that you even found a biology club in our school."

"I'm afraid that I'm no longer part of that club."

"It's such a pity that you quit. Tell me, do you like animals? Personally I like dogs the most. You seem like a cat-lover to me, Orihara-sempai."

Izaya was rather bored with their conversation. Nevertheless, she decided to continue it.

"I do like cats but there is another species that happens to be my favourite."

"What species?"

"Humans."

Izaya ignored Akira's surprised look and took the opportunity to ask her a question:

"You knew the girl that went missing, right, Akira-chan?"

"Are you talking about Takagi Hanako? She was my classmate."

Izaya smiled. Akira proved to be useful, after all.

"What kind of girl was she?"

"She was normal. And rather nice. We didn't talk that much. There were also those rumours…"

"What rumours?"

Izaya had a hunch that this piece of piece of information might prove vital to her investigation. After all, in every rumour there was always a grain of truth. Akira seemed slightly embarrassed as she spoke:

"Some people were saying that she was engaging in compensated dating, but I don't know for sure."

"I see. Thank you very much, Akira-chan. You've helped me a lot."

The school bell rang. Before Akira managed to ask why her sempai enquired about her missing classmate, Izaya said goodbye to her and quickly left.

The lesson soon ended. Izaya's next goal was talking to Ayame. But she swiftly changed her mind when she saw that the most popular girl in school was having a conversation with no one else but Heiwajima Shizuo.

"I forgot to ask you something last time, Sempai."

Ayame turned to Shizuo and smiled a charming smile that showed her perfect teeth.

"You may ask me now."

"You said that you liked me. Why?"

"Cause it's the truth."

"I mean, why do you like me?"

"It's simple. Cause you're different from others. You're strong. And destructive. I really like that in a person."

Shizuo smiled as if he was expecting to hear such an answer.

"Just as I thought. It's misunderstanding."

Ayame looked at him thoroughly bewildered.

"Misunderstanding?"

"You see, Sempai, I'm not really that strong. I always lose to my anger. And I'm not destructive either. I _do_ hate violence."

Ayame was too shocked to say anything while Shizuo continued:

"You gave your valentine to the wrong person, Sempai. That's why I'm returning this to you."

Shizuo handed Ayame the love letter and the plastic bag that contained (slightly damaged) chocolate. The girl took them and looked at him questioningly. Shizuo scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Sorry for the chocolate. Shinra thought that it was poisoned, so she examined it."

"I see."

Ayame looked as if she was about to cry. Shizuo bowed to her apologetically. He felt bad about returning the gift but he decided that keeping it would be even worse. As he was walking away, he noticed a petite girl in a black sailor uniform that was skipping in his direction. The smirk that flickered at the corner of her mouth made him want to punch her.

"It seems like you dumped the most popular girl in this school, Shizu-chan. How does it feel?"

"It's none of your business, Izaya-kun."

"I'd like to remind you that you accepted _my_ valentine. Doesn't it make me the most popular?"

Shizuo stopped walking to look at Izaya in disbelief.

"Do you seriously think that I would accept anything from you? I gave it to Shinra."

Izaya also stopped in her tracks. The smirk was gone and her eyes changed into little, red slits.

"You just don't get a thing, do you?"

Suddenly Shizuo realised that his uniform had been cut. He didn't feel any pain but the mere sight of the switchblade in Izaya's hand enraged him.

"IZAYAAAA!"

Izaya broke into run and Shizuo quickly followed her. Soon they ended in the basement. If Shizuo hadn't been blinded by fury, he would have probably wondered why Izaya lured him to the place that seriously limited her possibilities of escaping. Inside of the basement was very dark. Shizuo groped for the light switch when something warm touched his lips. He felt a slender body clinging to his. Unconsciously he yielded to the gentle touch.

"I'm glad that you two at least don't try to kill each other but could you please refrain from such immodest acts when in school?"

The two teenagers immediately moved away from each other when they heard a familiar, cool voice. The light was turned on and they both saw that no one else but Alicia Wong who was sitting on a crate. Izaya quickly recovered from the initial shock just to ask an awkward question:

"What were you doing in the basement, Sensei?"

"I needed a quiet place, so that I could read in peace.

Indeed she was holding a book. If the cover was to be believed, its title was _The Castle of Otranto_. But Shizuo felt that something was not quite right.

"How could you read in such darkness, Sensei?"

Alicia narrowed her eyes. It was obvious that Shizuo's even more awkward question unnerved her.

"My eyes were conditioned to see in the dark, Heiwajima. Do you have something more to do here? If not, then I suggest you to leave. Or maybe you'd like to write 100 times: I will not kiss my schoolmates in the basement?"

Neither Shizuo nor Izaya didn't really want to get on the teacher's bad side, so they quickly obeyed. After they left Alicia turned the light off and returned to her reading while muttering:

"My, how I hate children."

* * *

><p><strong>And here's Alicia's character profile. I have a habit of doing these for all my important OCs.<strong>

_**Alicia Wong**_

**Height**: 173cm  
><strong>Weight<strong>: 56kg  
><strong>Birthday<strong>: June 23rd  
><strong>Blood Type<strong>: Unknown  
><strong>Hobbies<strong>: Reading, fencing  
><strong>Things she likes<strong>: Discipline, etiquette  
><strong>Things she dislikes<strong>: Children, ignorance, bad behaviour, the undead  
><strong>Foods she likes<strong>: Nothing in particular  
><strong>Foods she dislikes<strong>: Garlic and onions  
><strong>Favourite saying<strong>: "_Protect yourself from other people's bad manners by a conspicuous display of your own good ones_." Victorian Proverb


	6. Chapter 6: Ayame

**I won't update this story until I get at least 5 reviews…Nah, I was just joking ;) I'll update it anyway.**

**Rating: T (though those of you who get scared easily might find this chapter a little disturbing). **

**Disclaimer: Durarara and canon characters such as Izaya, Shizuo, Shinra, Mairu, Kururi, Kadota, Shishizaki, Sharaku and Ayame don't belong to me. Only OCs are mine.**

* * *

><p><strong>Ikebukuro<strong>

Finally the school ended, which made Izaya feel almost relieved. It had been a tiring day for her. She had been asking some other students about the missing people but she hadn't manage to learn anything new beyond the things that Akira and Kadota had already told her. She had, however, found out something new regarding her missing English teacher. Several people gossiped about Saotome-sensei having some problems with Yakuza.

When Izaya eventually arrived home, she noticed that Mairu was talking with someone on the phone.

"Yes, yes. She's been awful to us!"

The bespectacled boy paused his telephone conversation to look at Izaya who busied herself with removing her shoes. He handed the receiver to her.

"Mommy wants to talk to you, Iza-nee."

Izaya sighed. She prepared herself for her mother's reproaches.

"Yes, mother?"

"…"

"It's true that I don't escort them to school everyday. But it's only because our lessons usually start at different hours. You don't want me to skip school, right?"

"…"

"If you think that I'm not taking care of Mairu and Kururi properly, then why don't you take care of them yourself?"

"…"

"Relax, I was just joking. I know you and father have a lot of work."

"…"

"You really did what I asked you? And what did you found out?"

Izaya learned some extremely interesting things from her mother. She hung up the receiver with a wide smile on her face. Kururi observed her curiously.

"Scolding (Did mommy and daddy tell you off)…?"

"Yes, all thanks to your brother. You're a sneak, Mairu."

Mairu simply smirked.

"It's a revenge for leaving me and Kuru-nii alone!"

"One day I may leave you alone. For example, tied in a bag at the bottom of the Tokyo bay."

"We're so scaaared!"

Mairu stuck his tongue out and ran away. Kururi quickly followed him. Izaya sighed. She detested her little brothers almost as much as she detested Shizuo. Well, at least apart from the scolding, she received a very valuable piece of information today.

**Next Day, ****Raijin High School, Ikebukuro**

Izaya was hoping that she would be finally able to talk to Ayame. Luckily she managed to find her during the first break. To Izaya's surprise, Ayame smiled a cheerful smile when she approached her.

"I'd like to talk to you about something, Sempai."

"It's very fortunate, Orihara, cause I too wanted to talk to you about something. Let's go!"

Ayame grabbed Izaya's wrist and almost forcefully dragged her to the basement.

"Why do you want to talk in there, Sempai?"

"Cause no one will disturb us here, right?"

Izaya wasn't so sure about that but after taking a careful look around, she decided that there was no one. Apparently, this time her English teacher didn't have the urge to read in peace. Ayame was first to break the silence.

"I'll tell you everything you want to know, Orihara. But could you please answer my questions first?"

Izaya nodded while wondering what Ayame might want from her.

"What is between you and Heiwajima?"

Izaya actually smiled for a second. But that indecipherable smile was almost instantly replaced by a grim frown.

"You want to know what is between Shizu-chan and me? Hatred. I _hate_ his guts."

Ayame looked at her in disbelief.

"But didn't you give him your valentine? And I even saw the two of you kissing…"

Izaya came to a conclusion that Ayame must've been stalking Shizuo. Otherwise she wouldn't know such things. Not that Izaya actually cared. She answered in a casual tone:

"I did all this with the aim of making Shizu-chan believe that I'm in love with him. I guessed he'd be easier to handle that way."

Ayame nodded understandingly.

"You didn't tell me the whole truth, Orihara. But it's okay cause all humans are liars. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I wanted to ask about the missing people. One of them was your stalker. Do you know anything about it?"

Ayame needed a moment to think about it. Then she smiled and answered in a light-hearted tone:

"My stalker…Ah, do you mean that guy named Arashi? I ate him."

Izaya couldn't believe her ears.

"You did _what_?"

"I ate him. I didn't have any other choice cause he saw me eating Ayame."

Izaya was certain that this girl must've been insane. That would explain a lot of things. For example, her being enamoured with Shizuo. Still, Izaya decided to keep asking her questions:

"Did you also eat Hanako?"

"Of course. You see, after I eat someone, I gain both their memories and the ability to assume their form. I just thought that being a Japanese high school student might be fun, so I took the form of a middle-aged guy and searched for teenage girls that were engaging in compensated dating. And I stumbled across Hanako. She was quite tasty."

"And why did you eat Ayame again?"

To Izaya's utter astonishment, the girl in front of her started blushing and twiddling her fingers.

"It's so embarrassing…I saw Heiwajima while he was causing destruction and I instantly fell for him…"

"Let me guess, you thought that if you took the form of the most popular girl in this school, Shizu-chan would like you?"

Izaya didn't even try to conceal sarcasm in her voice.

"Exactly. I even placed a part of myself inside the valentine's chocolate that I gave him. If only he had eaten it, he'd have became a part of me. "

"Too bad it didn't work. Did you also eat Saotome-sensei?"

Ayame looked at Izaya in surprise.

"You mean that funny English teacher? I didn't eat her."

Izaya shrugged.

"Whatever. The break is ending soon, so if you excuse me, Sempai…"

"Wait, Orihara. I told you all this cause I want to eat you next."

Izaya was prepared for something like that. She had her switchblade ready since Ayame began talking about eating people.

"And why exactly do you want to eat me?"

"I can't let you just leave after telling you my secrets. But there is other reason too. I want your form cause Heiwajima likes you."

Izaya smiled and pulled her switchblade out.

"You're imagining things, Sempai."

Ayame smiled in response and opened her mouth. She opened it much wider than it would be ever possible for a human being. From the inside of her mouth came out several white, slimy tentacles. They slowly made their way towards Izaya who started wishing that this nightmare would end soon.


	7. Chapter 7: Alicia

**Maybe I should've marked this story as horror genre instead of supernatural? Nah…**

**Rating: T **

**Disclaimer: Durarara, tentacles and other strange thingies aren't really my invention.**

* * *

><p>The tentacles attempted to seize Izaya but she managed to evade them by a hair's breadth.<p>

"Be a good girl, Orihara, and stand still!"

Since Ayame's mouth was still wide-open, her voice sounded distinctly odd. But Izaya got other, more important things to worry about.

"I should stand still, so that you can eat me? No thanks."

Izaya started analysing the situation. The tentacles weren't remarkably fast but they had rather long range. If she managed to evade them once more and reached the door leading to the exist, then she might survive all this. Most probably Ayame wouldn't risk attacking her again, if there were witnesses around. Izaya threw her switchblade at the monster as a distraction and quickly rushed to the stairs. Unfortunately something cold and slimy wrapped around her ankle and she fell.

"No escaping."

Ayame wagged her left index finger while holding the switchblade in her right hand. She made several steps towards now immobilised Izaya.

"That is enough. You're not allowed to do such disgusting things in my school, manticore."

Ayame turned in the direction of the person that uttered those words. And then in a blink of an eye her head fell off. The tentacles let go of Izaya's ankle, so she was able to stand up and take a look at the face of her saviour. She saw a tall, lanky figure in a red suit.

"Aren't you hurt, Orihara?"

"I'm mostly all right, Sensei. But would you mind giving me some explanations?"

Alicia nodded and slipped her long knife (or a short sword) into the sheath hidden under her skirt. She pointed to the monster's corpse that was bleeding white goo instead of red blood.

"It's a manticore. I've never seen one before and I thought they were extinct nowadays. Apparently I was wrong."

Izaya smiled and nodded.

"A manticore? You mean that mystical man-eating creature?"

"Precisely. I knew that Yumenosaka wasn't human right from the beginning. But before I attacked her, I needed a proof that she might be a danger to others."

"I see. You've done a nice job, Sensei. Especially for a someone who doesn't exist."

Alicia frowned.

"What do you mean by that, Orihara?"

"Do you remember when I told you that my parents are abroad? They are currently staying in Edinburgh. It is in Scotland which is your homeland, Am I right?"

Alicia was silent but Izaya noticed that she understood the hidden meaning of the last sentence. With a vicious smile on her face she continued:

"I asked my parents to pay your grandmother a little visit. Can you guess what did they found out?"

Alicia shrugged her shoulders and answered in her usual cold tone:

"They found out that the real Alicia Wong still lives in Edinburgh with her grandmother and teaches children in one of the local schools."

"Bingo. Care to explain this to me, Sensei?"

Alicia sighed.

"Alicia Wong is my relative. We have the same name and we even look alike. Since she wasn't planning to leave Scotland anytime soon, she gave me her passport."

"You want to tell me that she willingly allowed you to use her identity?"

"Yes. What are you intending to do now since you discovered my secret, Orihara?"

Alicia gave Izaya a cold stare. The latter didn't stop smiling.

"I'm not that ungrateful. You've saved my life, after all. I won't reveal your secret to anyone. But in return I expect that you'll start cooperating with me, Sensei. How about it?"

Alicia didn't answer. Instead she fixed her eyes on Ayame's body. Izaya followed her line of sight. In horror she noticed that the corpse was still moving. White tentacles crawled from its neck and grabbed the severed head. Soon the head landed in its place and Ayame slowly stood up with a pout on her face. She looked at Alicia.

"How could you mistake me for a manticore? I could tell that you're a dhampyre at the first glance!"

Alicia instantly pulled her blade out and pointed it at the monster.

"What are you?"

Ayame smiled and answered in a bright tone:

"My kind has many names. But you can call me Yidhra."

"Yidhra? It's impossible…Are you one of _them_?"

Both Alicia and Izaya were extremely surprised. Ayame or rather Yidhra became visibly sad.

"Not anymore. My brethren excluded me. Nyarlathotep is the only one that talks with me sometimes."

Alicia narrowed her eyes.

"No matter who you are, I won't allow you to eat my students."

"It's unfortunate cause you can't kill me with that blade of yours. I myself don't even know how to do it. But I don't feel like eating someone such as you who is half-dead either. What to do…"

Alicia was mulling something over. Then she opened her mouth to say:

"Let's enter into contract."

"Contract?"

"I won't be able to kill you and you don't want to eat me, so we have to find a way to coexist with each other. I'll let you stay in this school and I'll keep your real identity a secret. But you must swear not to eat anyone."

"Anyone? But what about her? She knows our secrets."

Yidhra pointed to Izaya who had been listening to their conversation with a mixture of disbelief and amazement. Now she also started to feel fear. Fortunately Alicia shook her head.

"Orihara may be troublesome but she still is one of my students. Eating her is out of question."

Yidhra pouted and then spat a small, white worm on her palm.

"Maybe I can feed her a part of me? She'll become my slave, if she eats that."

Alicia shot her an icy glare.

"This is also out of question."

Izaya was really grateful to Alicia for stopping Yidhra. She was afraid that the teacher might want to take the opportunity to get back at her for her earlier attempts at blackmail. It seemed that dhampyres were righteous beings. Yidhra, however, had the third suggestion:

"I can also remove her memories, so that she won't remember anything that happened here."

Alicia raised an eyebrow questioningly:

"It won't damage her brain in any way, I hope?"

"Rather not. At worst it may slightly distort her memories from the last few days."

"If you had such power, then why did you eat that stalker boy?"

"Because eating is less troublesome and more fun!"

Yidhra smiled cheerfully while Alicia facepalmed and muttered:

"I start to understand why you're excluded."

"I start to understand why you're an old maid, Alice. Cause you're such a meanie!"

Alicia frowned angrily.

"Firstly I didn't give you permission to address me by my first name. Secondly It's Alicia, not Alice."

While the two female beings were still arguing, Izaya took the opportunity to escape. She tried to climb the stairs quietly but was caught by a pair of small but very strong hands. She desperately tried to talk Alicia out of allowing Yidhra to brainwash her:

"Come on, let me go, Sensei. Nobody would believe me, even if I told them."

"Forgive me, Orihara, but I can't let you go. I simply don't trust you."

Yidhra approached Izaya with a bright smile on her face. She stretched out her left hand.

"It may hurt a little."

She touched Izaya's forehead with her palm. It did hurt. Izaya felt as if someone smashed her in the head with something heavy. And then she woke up.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm not a racist, so even beings such as Yidhra will also receive their character profiles. <strong>

_**Yidhra**_

**Height**: Varies  
><strong>Weight<strong>: Varies  
><strong>Birthday<strong>: Unknown  
><strong>Blood Type<strong>: Unknown  
><strong>Hobbies<strong>: Eating  
><strong>Things she likes<strong>: A lot of them  
><strong>Things she dislikes<strong>: Being bossed around  
><strong>Foods she likes<strong>: Humans  
><strong>Foods she dislikes<strong>: Zombies, ghouls, vampires, corpses (everything that is dead or undead).  
><strong>Favourite saying<strong>: "_Follow your own star!_" Dante Alighieri


	8. Chapter 8: A Dream?

**This chapter is an epilogue (well, sort of). With this story being finished, I'm going to make myself a break from writing. Maybe a permanent one.**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I don't recall Narita-sensei selling me his copyrights.**

* * *

><p><strong>Somewhere<strong>

The headache didn't cease even after waking up. Izaya sat up and scanned the bed and its surroundings. The place seemed familiar but it still wasn't Shinjuku. The door opened and a white-clad figure entered the room.

"So, you've finally felt like waking up?"

Izaya's vision was slightly blurry, but the figure proved to be easily-recognisable.

"Shinra? How come you aren't a girl anymore?"

Izaya actually felt relieved that everything (including his gender) was mostly back to normal. But Shinra adjusted his glasses and looked at his friend with a hint of worry in his grey eyes.

"I see that your brain damage was more severe than I initially thought."

- Brain damage? Was is he talking about?

Izaya touched his head just to feel that it was wrapped in bandages. He looked at Shinra questioningly.

"What happened to me?"

"Do you remember anything?"

"Well, I remember that I was running from Shizu-chan…"

Izaya recalled running into Shizuo and starting one of their usual fights. He couldn't remember what happened afterwards and how he managed to end up in Shinra's apartment though. The underground doctor smiled cheerfully and began to explain:

"Shizuo managed to smash you in the head with a street sign. You lost consciousness and were bleeding badly, so he was frightened that he might've killed you for good. Fortunately you two were close to my apartment, so he brought you here."

"I see."

"He was slightly panicked but he quickly calmed down after I told him that you had only a mild concussion. Anyway, he's already left."

"Shizu-chan is going to pay me for that. And by the way, why did you dress me in Celty's pyjamas?"

"I didn't have any other spare pyjamas. Besides, I think pink suits you quite well."

Shinra was still smiling cheerfully while Izaya sighed in annoyance. His head hurt badly and he would gladly just lay and sleep but there was something else that has been nagging at him.

"Hey, Shinra, do you remember our second year in Raijin?"

"What do you mean exactly?"

"I mean the time when the three people went missing."

Shinra adjusted his glasses and gave it some thought.

"Yes, I do remember. If I recall correctly those two missing students were never found. Only your English teacher's corpse was recovered from Tokyo Bay."

Izaya nodded. He was able to determine that Saotome-sensei had been involved in the drug-dealing in the school. Apparently Awakusu-kai had found out about her activities and didn't like it. Thus she had ended at the bottom of Tokyo Bay. But there was something else that bothered Izaya.

"And do you happen to remember a girl named Yumenosaka Ayame?"

"Wasn't she a school idol? I heard she became a pop idol later. I also remember that during our second year in Raijin she gave her valentine to Shizuo but he rejected it. Isn't he an idiot?"

"Indeed he is. Do you happen to know what is she doing now?"

"Why are you asking me all those things? Ayame disappeared without trace a year ago. Aren't you an information broker? Shouldn't you already know it?"

When Shinra mentioned Ayame's disappearance, Izaya remembered that he had watched the news about the missing pop singer. Since at that time Ayame's career had been declining considerably, it hadn't really drew anybody's attention (including Izaya's). Some had been speculating that she had been kidnapped by one of her stalkers but the fuss caused by her disappearance had eventually died down and the case remained unsolved. Izaya's unrest only grew.

"If Ayame disappeared…That means she can be anyone now."

Shinra adjusted his glasses again. He started to be really worried about Izaya. Since his friend had waken up, he started saying all those strange things that made almost no sense. And now all of sudden he even wiped his lips.

"What are you doing?"

Shinra looked at Izaya in surprise while the latter answered matter-of-factly:

"I was just not sure whether I did it 8 years ago."

Shinra sighed.

"Izaya, could you promise me one thing?"

"What do you want?"

"When you feel any better…please go and have your head examined carefully, okay?"

**THE END**


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